Obsession
by ilovenascar
Summary: Ziva and Gibbs have a late night talk about obsessions. Inferred Jibbs


Title: Obession

Author: April

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: inferred Jibbs

Date: May 7 2008

Feedback: Yes, please.

Rating: G

Disclaimer: The usual.

Summary: Ziva and Gibbs have a late night talk about obsessions.

* * *

Ziva David stood at the top of the basement steps for what seemed like hours, watching, trying to will herself to go down the steps, to her friend, the closest thing to a father she had anymore, but she couldn't make herself take the first one.

"Ziva." Jethro Gibbs had seen the shadow of a woman standing there and, although there was always the sliver of hope that Jenny had returned, he knew it wouldn't be her. "Are you coming down?"

Those words seemed to connect with her feet enough for her to walk down to where he was. He saw, not for the first time lately, how tired she looked, upset and stressed, not that he blamed her. Again, he wondered if Jenny had had the same signs as well and he'd missed them, hadn't wanted to see them there.

"I couldn't sleep," the younger woman finally said.

"I know." He thought about offering her the same thing he was drinking, coffee with a shot of bourbon that he kept stashed, but on second thought, after getting the story from Tony, he thought she'd probably had enough.

"I do not know why I'm here."

He took a deep breath and turned to face her. "Sit." She obeyed his command; she usually did. "You can't obsess over this."

"It was different...killing someone I knew, killing someone close...I could see his eyes." She made another confession. "I still see them." She paused. "I do not know why I'm here." She didn't know why she thought he might could help her, other than the fact that he seemed to always be able to.

"I know."

"I would have gone to Jenny, but..." Jennifer Shepherd was still one of the closest friends she had, one they both had.

"I know." Jenny had disappeared before, usually when she was furious, but this time she'd gone completely off the radar. Although he wanted to pretend he didn't care, it didn't matter, he was worried for her safety and felt a little lost without her.

Her boss was never one for words, that was left mostly up to her partner, but this time it seemed more noticeable as the silence echoed throughout the basement and he kept working with the wood of his boat. "Gibbs."

He turned around to face her. "When someone close to you almost dies, it can become an obsession to have closure, some form of justice."

"It was not anyone close to me. It was me. And it is closed."

"That's right. It was you. You were almost killed. No matter how many times it happens, it's never easy to deal with. And you knew your attacker, were close enough to look into his eyes." She closed her own eyes and opened them again. "Ziva, you need to deal with this and then worry about putting it behind you." He paused. "That's what happened with me about Ari. If I had dealt with it instead of letting it build up inside, maybe Kate...maybe Kate would still be alive." He paused. "If Jenny had been able to deal with the Frog, maybe...well, at least we'd know where the hell she is." He tried to laugh, like it was a joke, but the joke wasn't funny and his heart wasn't in it. "The obsession will destroy you, Ziva."

She noticed something she hadn't before, a sadness, a loss in his eyes, something that was new, but she wasn't sure when or why it had began. "I miss her."

He nodded. "I miss her too." Ziva and Ducky were the only ones he felt he could admit that to and it was good to finally say the words. He didn't have much family anymore, he'd lost Jenny, and he worried more and more lately that he would lose a member of his team as well.

"Can I sleep here?" She took a risk in asking, but felt almost positive she'd know the answer.

He nodded. "There's some stuff in the corner." He kept a sleeping bag, blanket, and pillow down there for his late-night visitors, most often Jenny.

She spread them out, sleeping bag as a mattress, pillow under her head, and the blanket on top, getting where she could hear him, see him, finding a comfort zone around him where she could finally bring herself to fall asleep without bad dreams.


End file.
